Ch'thall
Few creatures living in Mytheroptera are quite as surreal, alien, enticing and exotic as the Ch'thall and yet all in the Underdeep live in fear of one day crossing paths with one. Personality/Behavior The way in which a Ch'thall's mind works is a complete mystery to most civilized races. Their behavior is unpredictable, sporatic and spontaneous, all exhibiting mannerisms that most would deem a sign of insanity; some are eerily calm and oddly charming yet devoid of any true source of compassion or pity as they indulge in the suffering of their victims while others are far more spastic and chaotic, shieking hysterically in their madness and striking fear into the hearts of any within listening distance. Description/Biology The Ch'thall aren't technically a species as much as they are carriers of a unique genetic virus that mutates their bodies and can begin their lives as virtually any fae race although earth fae tend to be the most common. The way in which their biology responds to the new strain however isn't always favorable, quite a few ending up more as mindless grotesque monsters but for the "lucky" few they do retain a vaguely humanoid form and twisted intelligence. The most advanced forms that are the only sign of any true "consistency" in shape and function that are the current pinacle of their evolution appear humanoid with tall, slender forms, completely hairless and with two large tendril like extensions sprouting from their heads that when coupled with their odd striped body patterns makes them look oddly like harlequins. Their noseless faces bare a pair of large pupil-less dark eyes, a large sinister smile and they've been known to appear in virtually any color combination possible but the difference between their base skin tone and stripe color is always significant. All are hermaphroditic and fall into the "futanari" category bearing overall female forms with the addition of male sex ogans. While humanoid in their base forms, they can alter the shapes of their limbs, extending them to collections of long tentacles even forming various specific use appendiges such as wriggling tendrils or phalluses. However this is just one examplel of the nearly limitless variations in mutations that occur which can bare aspects of any number of creatures but tend to focus more on cephalapods, gastropods, mollusks, crustaceans, various worms or amphibians. The more intelligent ones are able to speak telepathically with most any intelligent species even though such an action also projects their madness into the minds of others, slowly corrupting them through prolongued exposure. Their spoken language is one of their most frightening aspects; which sounds like eerily pleasant laughter to fae ears. Climate/Terrain The Underdeep Territories How they've been able to keep their nest hidden from all others in the Underdeep is a mystery to this day but they've been encountered in virtually every corner of the underground realm. Those few who have seen their realm and somehow managed to escape describe a truly surreal landscape. Bio luminiscence accents purple organic cave walls that puslate like blood vessels with tendrils that reach forth at any who come to close. Tunnels that go in every conceivable direction from which the panicked hysterical laughter and screams of countless victims echo forth from constantly. (See Ch'thall'vorg ) Society Given that all Ch'Thall are certifiably insane, figuring out any particular nuance of society is rather difficult, especially since all interact with one another telepathically rather than through spoken word. Among the more intelligent variety, the closest comparison would be to a religious cult, focused around the worship of the their creator and related rituals, dogma and practices. Daily activities seem to focus on nothing more than both the torment and study of their slaves, observing the reactions as they tickle torture and arouse these poor wretches while slowly driving them to madness. Species Relations The only intelligent individuals in Mytheroptera who don't fear the Ch'Thall are those who have not heard of them. Most of the time the Ch'Thall keep to the Underdeep as their chosen hunting ground but being unpredictable, its not uncommon to hear a tale of a poor unfortunate soul coming across one on the surface, suddenly losing consciousness and disappearing. This is the Mytheropteran version of an alien abduction, except most taken are never seen again. Gender Relations/Roles All Ch'Thall are the same unified gender and as such hold no difference between each other. Love/Courtship The Ch'Thall have an odd approach to love given that actual sexual reproduction is impossible. Only the most intelligent can even come close to comprehending such concepts and frequently pair up with one another, falling madly in love one moment but inevitably losing interest, sometimes even hating the individual more than anything next, intense emotional instability being a mainstay of the strain. As such, all forms of Ch'Thall courtship are destined to fail and usually only last long enough to share in the indulgence of torturing their slaves. Sex Recreational sex purely for the sake of indulgence and orgasm is a mainstay of Ch'Thall society, veritable piles of their kind in vast, never ending orgies spread out across their subturanean realms being commonplace. The way in which they actually reproduce though is quite unusual. Ch'Thall take great care and preference in selecting their chosen victims, after which they will spend endless hours tickle torturing, arousing, terrifying and violating the very minds of their chosen target. Only after the targets mind has been completely broken in every conceivable way, they are brought to the shore of the lake and in a perversion of the baptismal rites, are plunged into the "cleansing" waters only to be seized by Ch'thall'vorg itself to finish the process. Afterwards, they will begin a process of metamorphosis in which the fae will slowly transform into another Ch'Thall sometimes taking several years to complete. Despite being completely insane, they do tend to retain certain elements of their prior psyche such as vague mannerisms or personality aspects unaffected by memories like inventiveness, paranoia, playfulness, etc. During their transitional time they are less restricted and treated as a member of the Ch'Thall but still a frequent victim of constant tickling which at this point they now crave like an addiction. Birthrights :::Mental Infection: The same ability that allows Ch'Thall to communicate telepathically with each other has an adverse effect on other Fae. A purely involuntary reaction, the mental instability that drives the Ch'Thall actually infects others in close proximety and over prolongued exposure will inevitably drive them completely insane. :::Elongation: The Ch'Thall's physical form is partially amorphic, allowing them to alter the shapes of their limbs into a multidude of tentacles. Once more they can generate unique appendages such as bushels of wriggling tendrils, phalluses, etc. Favored Class The Ch'Thall don't recognize classes as are known by surface world society, each as naturally physically capable as a warrior or soldier, skilled in magic as well as most Mages and are as sneaky and manipulative as the most talented of Rogues. Combat Little is known about actual combat abilities or tactics as any who dare to challenge one openly is usually rendered completely insane, catatonic or never seen again.